Annual Report 2010
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Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum Annual Report 2010 - 2011 (Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum) is a collaborative group of all the university and higher education libraries in Wales, together with the National Library of Wales. It is chaired by the Librarian of the National Library of Wales and its members include Directors of Information Services and Heads of Library Services. The purpose of WHELF is to promote library and information services collaboration, to encourage the exchange of ideas, to provide a forum for mutual support and to help facilitate new initiatives in library and information service provision. WHELF actively promotes the work of higher education libraries in Wales and provides a focus for the development of new ideas and services. Libraries Aberystwyth University Bangor University Cardiff University Glyndŵr University National Library of Wales The Open University in Wales Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Swansea Metropolitan University Swansea University University of Glamorgan University of Wales University of Wales, Newport University of Wales Institute, Cardiff University of Wales Trinity Saint David 1 Contents Chair’s Introduction 3 The Year in Brief 4 Collaboration and Partnership 6 Welsh Repository Network 10 Digitisation 12 Continuing Professional Development 14 WHELF: Business and People 16 Consultations 18 Representation 19 New Social Learning Space at the Main Arts Library, Bangor University 2 Chair’s Introduction The American film producer Sam Goldwyn is said to have asked, during the making of The Last Supper, ‘Why only twelve apostles?’ When told that was the original number he replied, ‘Well, go out and get thousands!’ WHELF’s aim is to achieve something similar: fourteen people from fourteen institutions attempt to multiply themselves – to produce between them far more for library users than they could achieve by themselves. This year’s report, covering the period August 2010 to July 2011, gives more evidence of how the happy cooperation between Welsh academic libraries can achieve impressive results for students, staff and others, at a time of unprecedented uncertainty and financial strain. Sharing information resources has always been one of WHELF’s ambitions, but the conclusion of a deal with Oxford University Press on electronic periodicals is a big step forward for researchers in Wales, and opens the way to similar deals with other major publishers in future. Similarly, helping students to discriminate in their use of information has long been a concern of librarians, but the new Welsh Information Literacy Project, admired throughout the UK and beyond, has done pioneering work on integrating such skills in teaching and learning. A third example is digitisation, where again it is possible to achieve far more collaboratively on an all-Wales scale than would be conceivable through individual, competing activity. Some of our activities and members were showcased in the annual SCONUL Conference, held this year in Cardiff: a reminder that WHELF as a consortium is a model admired throughout the UK and Ireland. What is not so obvious to outsiders, and what marks it out from most similar groups, is that it is also one of the friendliest and most supportive of professional consortia, its spiritual home, Gregynog, a perfect setting for sharing experience and wisdom. It is a constant pleasure for me to work with such talented colleagues – and no surprise to find that two WHELF members were appointed during the years to senior positions within their universities. Andrew Green National Library of Wales Representatives from the Library of Chongquing during their visit to the NLW to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between both libraries (5 August 2011) 3 The Year in Brief In The Future Shape of Higher to Wales for the first time, to benefit Education in Wales HEFCW sets out businesses and universities. Based at very clear recommendations for the Swansea and Cardiff Universities, it reconfiguration of the higher education will bring a supercomputing capacity sector in Wales. WHELF’s response and network of a scale not previously referred to innovative work in libraries attempted anywhere else in the UK or which clearly demonstrates the Europe. “collaborative culture – such as that embraced by institutions in Wales” CyMAL: Museums Archives Libraries which JISC has previously identified. Wales started work on its new strategy Plans to merge Welsh universities to for the next three years: Libraries cut the total number of institutions Inspire: draft strategic development from ten to six have been backed by the framework for Welsh libraries 2012-15. Education Minister Leighton Andrews. CyMAL argue that public, education, and workplace libraries are at the heart of Two new initiatives this year offer a their communities. The very reason for different approach to the provision of their existence is to inspire and assist education in Wales. The University of people to make a positive difference Wales Trinity Saint David and its further to their lives. WHELF has taken an education partners are creating “a active part in the consultations and dual sector university” to respond to looks forward to working in partnership the educational, social and economic with CyMAL to deliver on a number of needs of the region. The financial priorities. benefits include shared library services. The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol is a new national institution that will play a key role in planning, supporting and developing Welsh medium education and scholarship at universities in Wales. WHELF supports the aim of the Coleg to develop effective collaborative partnerships. The Welsh Government has pledged funding for a £400m university science campus in Swansea. This year also saw the launch of High Performance Computing in South Wales. HPC Wales brings state of the art computing technology, infrastructure and facilities Award won by Cardiff University’s Trevithick Library in the SCONUL Library Design Awards 4 Academic libraries in Wales continued At the start of the academic year to refurbish their buildings and improve Cardiff University launched its new their facilities to ensure that they gave ‘Ask a Librarian live’ pilot, an instant students the very best experience messaging service that connected users during the course of their studies. with a member of Library staff in one Examples included a new Research of the University’s 16 libraries. The Reserve and collaborative learning National Library of Wales launched its spaces at Bangor University and own Instant Chat service in July. Both additional study spaces at Swansea were evidence that libraries continue to University. In March, broadcaster move with the times and test how new Huw Edwards launched Hoffi Coffi, technology can help their users. Swansea University’s Welsh library cafe. The Royal Welsh College of Music At various conferences in Wales this year, we heard about the early findings of the Library Impact Data Project with interest. We now have the answer to the question: Is there a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment? The answer is YES! Hoffi Coffi, Swansea University’s Welsh library cafe, was officially launched by journalist and broadcaster In July this year the National Library of Huw Edwards. Wales celebrated the centenary of the and Drama opened its dramatic new laying of the foundation stone of its buildings on 23rd June. first building. “The Library was founded on the back of a mass subscription When Cardiff University’s Trevithick campaign waged by the Welsh people Library won a design award from over a century ago. In that respect it the Society of College National and is unique among the national libraries University Libraries (SCONUL), Ann of the world. We are now asking the Rossiter, Executive Director at SCONUL, Welsh people to show their continued said: “Libraries form an important part support for the Library and affirm that of a university’s offer and can be the the building and its collections will serve difference between high and low levels the people for the next hundred years,” of student satisfaction.” said Librarian, Andrew Green. At an event to celebrate a programme of upgrading and refurbishment in Cardiff University’s libraries, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Treasure, commented “We are seeing that students are wanting to use library services, right across the UK. Staff and students are wanting more and different spaces – environments which we need to create to meet these differing needs.” Celebrating the centenary of the laying of the Library’s foundation stone, by forming a human chain around the building (15 July 2011) 5 Collaboration & Partnership WHELF Sharing Library Services Programme Sharing services and systems has been an area of increasing interest across WHELF organisations for a number of years and WHELF has a long history of implementing successful collaborative initiatives e.g. the WHEEL, WALIA, CROESO schemes. Sharing a library management system is seen as a potential area to drive further collaboration and is a key milestone of the ‘Shared Services’ strand of the WHELF Development Plan and will form a key part of the WHELF Action Plan 2011-13. An initial feasibility study will be funded by CyMAL. Sharing Services and pursuing efficiency through greater collaboration is also a strategic priority that has been handed down to Welsh HE institutions from HEFCW as part of the “Reconfiguration and Collaboration”